The following is my review of Designism 3.0, a presentation which took place last week at the Art Director's Club in New York. This post first appeared on UnBeige. Thanks to Stephanie Murg for editing and some work on the images.

Last Thursday, I ventured out to The Art Director's Club to attend Designism 3.0, the third annual event to celebrate design for social change. Not having attended previous sessions, I wasn't entirely sure what the program aimed to cover. After all, "social activism and instigating change through media" sounds rather lofty. However it soon became clear that the topic at hand was simply ideas. Simple ideas that help people.

While the event was billed as "an evening of discussion, debate, and presentations," it felt more like a mini conference, with case studies and speeches on topics that range from water purification to the latest in fashions for the homeless. The venue was filled beyond capacity, with many having to stand or else enjoy obstructed views.

The evening began with Core 77's Allan Chochinov schooling us all on the errors of our ways with the "Five Imperatives of Design." After seeing the ugly truth of our disposable culture, the stage was set for what would be one inspirational idea after another. IDEO's Aquaduct water purification bicycle (pictured above) struck me as especially brilliant for its obvious simplicity--no manual required.

Read to learn about the flashes of brilliance exhibited in the Designism 3.0 "lightning round," Steve Heller's brilliant propagandizing, and what it all means.

Next was the "lightning round," in which speakers presented their projects in five-minute intervals. TAXI's Jason Hamm started off by introducing us to the 15-Below jacket (pictured at right), a lightweight jacket for the homeless of Toronto, designed to keep them warm at temperatures of -15